(1) Field of the Invention
During various surgical procedures involving invasion of anatomical members, e.g. the reaction of bone, it is often desirable to produce bores, cuts or resections that are at a predetermined orientation with and at a predetermined distance from some reference surface, axis or point, e.g. a previously resected surface. This invention relates to apparatus, referred to as a positioner, for positioning surgical instruments which act as guides for surgical instruments including cutting instruments which produce the surgical invasions, e.g. anatomical structure resections such as bone resections. It has been found that such positioners increase the accuracy of placement of surgical instruments thereby improving the quality of the surgical procedure.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
While various surgical instruments which act as guides for other surgical instruments are known to the art, it is believed that adequate positioners for such surgical instruments are not known to the art. Further, as is known to those skilled in the art, prosthetic devices, such as prosthetic knee joints, ankle joints, shoulder joints, finger joints, etc., have become increasingly sophisticated. Therefore more sophisticated surgical procedures for implantation are required. These more sophisticated surgical procedures require, inter alia, establishment of more accurate reference axes, planes and surfaces and to that end that bone bores, cuts or resections to be more accurately made than before. Hence, new positioning apparatus are required to more accurately position the surgical instruments which act as guides for the cutting instruments if the more accurate placement of surgical bores, cuts or resections is to be made.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for improved instrumentation, such as an improved positioner, for positioning surgical instruments which act as guides for producing more accurately placed surgical bores, cuts or resections. It is the object of the present invention to provide such improved positioners.